Grand Cancan

About 30 ethnic groups live in the Republic of Dagestan, each with its own language and customs. The prevalence of the Muslim way of life is a distinctive feature of this republic. The number of men taking second and third wives has increased. However, according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, a man can only be married to one wife. So, being both a law-abiding citizen and a model Muslim is not yet possible.

Maxim is a young Muscovite who journeys from Russia to the south of France to visit his mother in her home amidst the lofty mountains of Montagne Sainte-Victoire. He finds her in poor health and is overwhelmed with grief when she abruptly passes away. In the throes of mourning, he reconnects with his French half-sister Marie Louise, whom he hardly saw. Despite the language barrier and accustomed estrangement, the pair grows closer through their shared sense of loss.

In a small Cuban fishing village, Joel, the oldest brother in a traditional family, is heartbroken when his fiancée marries someone her family prefers. He moves to Havana, hoping to find a new life. Gorgeously photogenic, Havana and the Cuban countryside are exquisitely captured in director Kosyrev-Nesterov's elegiac feature debut.